Senior Director of Philanthropic Partnerships

Job Summary

The (Senior) Director of Philanthropic Partnerships is a senior frontline fundraiser whose primary mandate is to build IPA’s philanthropic pipeline and close major gifts. The role personally manages a portfolio that spans major gift relationships in the $25,000+ range and principal gift prospects with the capacity to make six- and seven-figure commitments for unrestricted and core institutional funding priorities. The role carries explicit responsibility for opening new philanthropic markets and identifying, qualifying, and cultivating new prospects to grow IPA’s long‑term revenue base.

This role is also central to IPA’s multi‑year campaign, Building Evidence‑to‑Impact Ecosystems, which will fund the organization’s next phase of growth, including Embedded Evidence Labs and IPA’s broader strategic priorities through 2030.

• Lead the full donor cycle for portfolio relationships: identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, closing, and stewardship of donors in the $25,000+ range.
• Personally solicit and close gifts across the portfolio, with measurable annual revenue targets set jointly with the CPPO.
• Partner with the Chief Partnerships and Philanthropy Officer (CPPO) to advance and close principal gifts in the personal portfolio, including coordinating briefings, donor strategy, and meeting roles.
• Carry a meaningful portion of IPA’s $15 million capital campaign goal, with a personal portfolio aligned to campaign priorities and a multi‑year cultivation and solicitation plan.
• Move qualified prospects from the major gift range into the principal gift range over time, building IPA’s long‑term revenue.

• Lead IPA’s prospect identification and qualification efforts, building a forward‑looking pipeline of new individual and family foundation donors aligned with IPA’s strategic priorities with a focus on unrestricted and core institutional funding priorities.
• Build IPA’s presence in priority new philanthropic markets, including artificial intelligence (AI company founders, executives, and aligned foundations), family offices, finance and hedge fund philanthropy networks, effective giving and evidence‑aligned communities, and the major donor philanthropic market in the United Kingdom.
• Position IPA’s evidence base for relevance to emerging philanthropic priorities in AI, including responsible deployment of AI in low‑ and middle‑income country development, and translate IPA’s research portfolio into propositions that resonate with AI‑sector funders.
• Build the prospect research and intelligence function required to support pipeline growth, including external advisory relationships and wealth screening capabilities.
• Develop and execute a written market expansion plan with quarterly milestones, in partnership with the CPPO.
• Align prospect and market‑building activity to the capital campaign timeline, ensuring that new markets and new prospects translate into campaign commitments within the campaign window.

• Directly supervise two managers responsible for philanthropy operations and the mid‑level and planned giving program, holding each accountable for the performance of their respective functions.
• Hold the team accountable to revenue targets, pipeline discipline, and documented moves management practices. Coach team members on frontline fundraising fundamentals, including qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and pipeline management.
• Identify and develop talent on the team, supporting growth into more senior frontline fundraising responsibilities over time.
• Set annual goals, conduct performance reviews, and partner with the CPPO on structural decisions about the team’s composition, capabilities, and growth.

• With the CPPO, contribute to strategic planning, revenue forecasting, and resource allocation decisions.
• Represent IPA at external convenings with donors and prospects.
• Maintain a current and authoritative view of the international development funding…